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Winter beautiful from head to toeBrrr! The frigid season has arrived, and we’re ready to battle its biggest beauty bothers—chapped lips, cracked heels, thin locks, oh my!—with our tried-and-true techniques. But new information from skin and hair experts suggests that making small changes to those same-old routines will significantly boost their beautifying benefits. Here, the tiny tweaks that make a major difference!

Dry, brittle hair? The old way: Restore luster and soft-ness with a hair mask. The one con-cern? While this coats the cuticle for temporary shine, it doesn’t get to the “root” of the problem.

Top that hair mask off with a warm towel. “The heat opens hair cuticles, allowing the active ingredients in the mask to deeply penetrate strands so hair gets rehydrated from the inside out,” says New York City dermatologist Francesca Fusco, M.D. For best results, she suggests whipping up a DIY hair mask made with avocado. The fruit’s fatty acids give hair long-lasting hydra-tion, and its proteins help strengthen strands and repair damage. To do: Combine half of an avocado , 1 Tbs. of olive oil (its squalene hydrates) and 1 Tbs. of honey (a humectant that boosts strand shine). Apply to damp hair from roots to ends, then brush through with a comb to evenly distribute the mixture. Next, put hair in a bun and cover with a warm towel for 10 minutes, then rinse.

9 fresh ways to achieve gorgeous skin and hair all

season long

The upgrade

Puffy undereye bags?

The old way: Moisturize skin with lotion any time of day. The issue: This hydrates on the sur-face but doesn’t always reach parched layers underneath.

While in the shower, use a hydrating scrub made of 2 Tbs. of brown sugar, 11⁄2 Tbs. of olive oil and 2 drops of lavender essential oil to slough away dry skin. Then before toweling off, cover rough spots with an oil-based oint-ment (like CeraVe Healing Ointment, Walmart.com). “The greasier emollient cre-ates a protective barrier on skin’s surface while also penetrating the many layers of skin to hydrate deep within,” says dermatologist David Bank, M.D. Plus, stud-ies show applying it within three minutes of showering boosts hydration by “trapping” the water left on skin.

The upgrade

Painfully parched skin? Give yoursel f a hug! A recent s tudy found that crossing your arms can significantly relieve pain!

The old way: Shrink bags by using your fingertip to tap on a de-puffing eye cream (this revs circulation). The downside: The effect is usually temporary.

Massage on the cream using a jade roller like GingerChi Jade Mini Roller (GingerChi.com). The gentle motions promote mild lymphatic drainage to get stagnant fluids moving while preventing new buildup, says dermatologist Anna Guanche, M.D. Plus, massaging helps the

cream penetrate better to

optimize results. Simply sweep the roller under

each eye in an outward

direction for one minute.

The upgradeRough patches?

Cracked heels?The old way: Buff away thick, dead skin along the heels with a pumice stone. The dilemma: The abrasive tool can irritate cracks.

Slip your feet into fruit acid–infused booties (like Baby Foot Original Exfoliant Foot Peel, Ulta.com). The natural acids help break down disul-fide bonds, the glue-like structures that keep dead skin cells hanging on—no scrubbing needed, explains dermatologist Anna Guanche, M.D. How it works: Simply place your feet into the booties and secure per box instructions; leave on for one hour, then rinse off excess. Three to four days later, skin along the feet and heels will begin to shed on its own painlessly—and within a week, all hardened skin will be gone and your feet will be left soft, smooth and crack-free.

The upgrade

Skip the spray once a week in favor of an apple cider vinegar rinse. “Its malic acid breaks down product buildup and gently exfoliates the scalp,” says derma-tologist Debra Jaliman, M.D. Plus, it helps unclog follicles to encourage new hair growth and enhances light-reflecting shine for the illusion of a fuller, thicker head of hair. To do: Pour 3 Tbs. of apple cider vinegar onto damp hair while show-ering. Use your fingers to massage it onto your scalp in circular motions, let sit for 5 minutes, then rinse. Use

once a week to prolong results and to continue using dry shampoo

to achieve bouncy tresses.

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Meghan Markle hydrates her skin with Nivea Skin Q10 Firming Hydration Body Lotion. “It’s so affordable and makes my skin look and feel amazing.” It con-tains CoEnzyme Q10, a potent antioxidant that increases col-lagen and elastin production to firm skin while it moisturizes.

Viola Davis soothes her body with a nightly bath infused with Dr. Teal’s Soothe & Sleep Pure Epsom Salt Soak with Lavender—she calls it “the best, absolutely!” The salt’s magnesium revs circulation to beat bloat, and calming lavender helps de-stress in an instant.

Cindy Crawford’s youthful sheen is thanks to Neutrogena Body Oil (Ulta.com), which she applies after a shower. “I let it soak in for a few seconds before drying myself with a towel,” she says. And that’s smart since steam from the shower opens pores, so nutrients can absorb into skin, nourishing it from the inside out.

Meghan’s $8 lotion

Viola’s $5 salt soak

Cindy’s $10 body oil

Fall-flat locks?The old way: Give hair va-va-volume with a dry shampoo. Too bad overuse of the root-boosting spray can backfire by building up and weighing hair down, making locks look limp and thin instead. Plus, too much of the starchy formula can clog follicles, stalling growth.

The upgrade

Raw hands?The old way: Prevent raw, red hands by avoiding alcohol-based antibacterial gels, and don’t overwash hands. The big catch? It’s cold and flu season!

Keep washing hands frequently, and before bed, slather on an “anti-

bacterial” hand cream like C.O. Bigelow Chapped Hands Remedy (BathAndBodyWorks.com). It’s infused with rosemary oil (which

has natural nondrying, germ-killing properties) and aloe leaf extract

(which helps heal inflamed and irritated skin). Then slip a pair of cotton gloves (like Earth Therapeutics Moisturizing Hand Gloves, EarthTherapeutics.net) over hands. “The gloves ensure the cream’s nourishing ingredi-ents absorb into skin, not onto sheets,” says Dr. Jaliman. And since skin is in repara-tive mode while you sleep, your hands will be healed by morning.

The upgrade

A gentle foot massage helps

reduce any winter-related ankle swelling

in a pinch!

Beauty bargains

the stars swear byThese A-listers can afford to splurge on pricey winter-skin soothers, but they rely on these drugstore finds to stay young and look gorgeous!

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New York City dermatologist Francesca Fusco, M.D., recommends using a lip balm made with skin-nourishing shea butter (like Nivea Moisture Lip Care, Target.com). Shea butter’s vitamins A and E encourage skin-cell renewal and restore hydration to chapped lips while its cinnamic acid calms any inflammation. Plus, antioxidants in shea butter boost collagen production to heal lips fast without drying them out. Simply swipe onto lips daily for results in less than a week.

Blues are associated with nature—like the daytime sky or a pool of water—inspiring feelings of peace, tranquility and order. One we like: Orly Breathable Treatment + Color in “Good Karma,” SallyBeauty.com. It’s infused with argan oil to help hydrate and strengthen dry, brittle nails.

Attention-grabbing rich reds are symbolic of energy and alertness. They’re also known to invigorate the mind when we need to accom-plish a task.One we like: NailsInc NailKale Nail Polish in “Victoria and Albert,” us.Nailsinc.com. It’s made with kale, which delivers vitamins A, C and K to nail beds, stimulating keratin production so nails grow long and strong.

Orange hues are reminiscent of sunrises and sunsets, which research shows help conjure up feelings of cheer and optimism. One we like: Deborah Lippmann Gel Lab Pro Nail Color in “Hot Child in the City,” (Nordstrom.com). Made with biotin and green tea, it promotes growth while also fighting off the free radicals that can weaken nails and cause breakage.

De-stress with blue

Feel energized with red

Get happy with orange

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Bacne?The old way: Spot-treat with benzoyl peroxide, a go-to ingredient for break-outs since it kills acne-causing bac-teria fast. The downside? It can also dry out skin so you’re left with yet another problem to tackle.

Eczema?The old way: Soak in an oatmeal bath. Trouble is, while com-pounds in oats strengthen skin’s barrier, they don’t fend off bacte-ria that exacerbate eczema.

Take a “bleach” bath. A recent study found that a very diluted bleach bath can kill the bacteria responsible for eczema inflam-mation. “It’s completely safe,

and it also gently exfoliates to reduce scaliness,” says der-matologist Debra Jaliman, M.D. “Just be careful not to do more than once a

week since bleach can dry out skin.” Simply add 1⁄4 cup of bleach into a full bath; soak for 10 minutes. Then follow up with an oatmeal-infused cream (like Aveeno Eczema Therapy Moisturizing Cream, Ulta.com). Note: Talk to your doctor before taking a bleach bath, especially if you suffer from asthma (the smell can trigger symptoms).

The upgrade

Chapped lips?The old way: Swipe on a lip balm infused with medicinal men-thol or camphor. What backfires: These “healing” ingredients offer temporary relief, but their dehydrating properties tend to irritate lip skin more.

The upgrade

Beat blemishes with hydrocolloid patches. “The absorbent gel material pulls oils and impurities out of blemishes while maintaining a moist environment so skin doesn’t dry out,” says

New York dermatologist David Bank, M.D. He suggests looking for a patch that’s infused with anti-inflam-matory and antibacterial pec-tin (we like Hero Cosmetics Mighty Patch Surface, HeroCosmetics.us) to help calm redness and heal breakouts even faster. Simply apply one patch onto an area with blemishes, leave on for up to eight hours and voilà—bye-bye, bacne!

Blush-toned lip gloss imparts healthy, natural-

looking color and sheen

to a parched pout

The upgrade

Happiness at your fingertips!

One quick glance at nails painted in these proven-to-boost-your-mood colors will instantly banish the winter blues—plus, they’re made with nail-nourishing nutrients!

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